Cotton-cleaner



{No-Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet l. J. RALSTON. COTTON CLEANER Patented Jan.6,1885.

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J. RALSTON. COTTON CLEANER.

No. 310.3115'. y Patented Jan. 6. 1885.

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, 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

.R. Nm NA E SL LG AN Rm -ml TUO 110.310,315. Patented Jan.6-, 1885.

RN@ Model.) 4Sheets-Sheet 4.

J. RALSTON.

COTTON CLEANER. 110.310,316. Patented Jan. 1885.

./ lttorney N. PETERS mbhmnmw, was-mug 1111 c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH RALSTON, OF BRENHAM, TEXAS.

COTTON-CLEANER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 310,315, dated January6, 1885.

Application filed June 1, 1883. (Xo model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosErH RALs'roN, of Brenham, county of Vashington,and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCotton-Cleaners, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and tothe letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention has relation to machines employed for cleaning cotton suchas are usually known under the name of cotton-cleaners.

The object of my invention is to produce a machine wherein the cottonmay be thoroughly and effectually cleaned without damage to the stapleor fiber of the material being operated upon, wherein the several partsare simple and durable iu construction, easily accessible for repairs orfor replacement when desired, requiring a minimum of power foroperating, the said machine being especially adapted for improving andcleaning seed-cotton on the plantation, dispensing with hand-picking,andsaving a great amount of labor and time, and freeing the cotton from allhulls, rotten bolls, nails, sand, dust, leaf trash, &c., doing the workmore thoroughly and expeditiously than can be done by hand.

To accomplish all of this my improvements involve certain novel anduseful peculiarities of construction, relative arrangements or combinations of parts,and principles of operation, all of which willbehereinfirst fully described, and then pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, I haveshown a machine or apparatus constructed and arranged for operation inaccordance with my invention and involving the principles thereof.

Figure l is a side elevation of my machine. Fig. 2 is a like view fromthe opposite side. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section. Fig. 4 is a sideelevation showing the location and arrangement of the saws, the rollerM, the stripping-roller, and the eccentric-rod applied for lthe purposeof operating one of the wire screens in a manner peculiar to thisinvention. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the roller M detached from theother parts. Fig. 6 is afront elevation, and Fig. 7 an end View, of

what I call the cocklc-burr rollenf the same to be employed in place ofroller K. Fig. 8 is a front elevation of a friction-clutch of well-knownconstruction 5 and Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the same, partly insection.

In all these figures like letters of reference, wherever they occur,indicate corresponding parts.

The feeding portion of the machine is provided with sides and end, andthe bottom thereof is made of an endless apron or belt, B, composed ofslats revolving on pulleys mounted upon suitable shafts, the shaft lunder the drum A having a ratchet, 2, connected thereto, which is movedby pawls 3 and 4, attached to a lever, 5, pivoted to the side of themachine, and actuated through a pitman, 6, resting at one end upon acrank-arm, 7, on the shaft of drum A, by which means motion is impartedto the belt. The wooden drum A, which takes the cotton from the apron,is about sixteeninches in diameter. It may take motion from the maindrive-wheel through a belt (not shown) connecting said wheel with awheel, A2, on its shaft, but is illustrated as taking its motion from apulley, a', on the stripping-fan shaft through a belt, B',connecting'said pulley with a pulley, a2, on the shaft of roller a, onthe opposite end of which shaft will be a cog-wheel meshing with acogwheel on the end of shaft A. Operating in conjunction with the woodendrum is another drum in rear, say six inches in diameter,l

(represented at a, Fig. l.) Both contain wire points, and they aregeared with cog-wheels,

so that both revolve at the same time. As the larger drum takes up thecotton and hulls from the apron and carries them in contact with thesmall roller running at the higher rate of speed, it bruises the bolls,so that they are broken apart into sections, and at the Sametime opensup the seed-cotton, so as to allow a large amount of sand and leaf trashto become detached from the seed lint cotton.

rIhe operation ofthe drum A in connection with the apron is such that itwill not pick up nails or lumps of dirt, rotten pods, or any hardsubstance. The dirt and sand and rotten cotton, with some few locks ofgood cotton, pass under the feeding-drum on the end- IOO less apron andfall on the screen l). The screen D is set at an angle, and the cotton(if any) and lumps of dirt slide into the drawer E, the sand siftingthrough and falling on the floor. The bottom of drawer E is preferablyor usually made of open-mesh wire of one inch mesh, to permit the largelumps of dirt to be shaken out of the cotton. This cotton I clean over.The roller c is turned by belt-connec Io tion with the shaft of thestripping-fan, as described, and it is preferably made of wood and withwire teeth, as above set forth, t-he teeth operating to take the cottonfrom the feed-drum and pass it through a concave set in front, as at c.The inner surface of this concave is provided with strong iron pointsset into it,so that the teeth on the small roller a, called thebreaking-roller, will pass be tween them, causing the hulls of thecotton- 2o pods to be broken, the same to be afterward separated fromthe cotton by the saws and stripping-roller. This form of feeder mighthe used independently of the cleaner, and it is my intention to so useit whenever it may be required. lt will remove a large amount of sandand gritty substances from the cotton before it is fed to the breast ofa cotton-gin, saving a risk of fire and much wear of the gin. The cottontaken up by the feeding-drum A,

3o after passing the breaking-drum or breakingroller,is dropped uponasieve or screen, preferably made of wire-cloth, woven preferably aboutthree-eighths by onehalf inch mesh. This sieve is represented at C. ltis mounted upon a shaft at or near its upper end and near the feed-drumA,and is made to work loosely,

or is hinged on the shaft (represented at c) through the medium of anysuitable loops fastened to the frame of the screen. The shaft c 4o is tobe held in place by boxes on the upper girt ofthe frame of the cleaner.At the lower end of the screen is another shaft, c', upon the frame, andpassed through each side ofthe machine to admit of the application ofarms,

as ci, applied upon each end of the shaft, and which will be held inline thereon by suitable collars, which will permit them to work looselybut yet keep the arms in perfect line. The arms c2 extend up and areconnected eccen- 5o trically with the shaft fof the cog-wheel c, as

shown. The eccentric rise is about threefourths of an inch,f thus givingthe screen (through the connections) an up-and-down shaking motion atevery revolution of the shaft of the cog-wheel, and this causes theseparation of sand and leaf trash from the cotton, permitting it to fallupon the floor as it passes through the sieve. The wooden roll# er M,provided with cog-wheel c, and geared 6o with the shaft of the cog-wheelc3 through cogwheel c5, Fig. 2, and having points (which may be of wire)init, is intended to keep back hulls and cause them to be detached fromthe cotton as the saws carry them up and forward. The saws passingbetween the points set in the roller K and the roller, and the sawsbeing made to run in directions indicated by arrows, the result of thearrangementvis that the hulls are knocked back, and they fall upon thedrum G,which should be slotted, and, being carried under the same as itrevolves, fall upon the floor. The operating parts of this feedingbreaking-section are coupled with the main driving-shaft by anypractical form of friction clutch, one well-kn own form of which isshown in Figs. 8 and 9 at F. This mechanical means is particularlyadvantageous in this class of machines, since it avoids the use ofshifting belts, to which there are many objections, and affords aninstantaneous and easily-operating means of regulating the motion asdesired. The cotton and hulls pass from the sieve C upon a wire orslotted drum, G, being fed in a uniform manner and carried forward tothe saws L. The cylinder or drum G may be composed of woven wire aboutthree-eighths by one-half inch mesh, or preferably of wooden slatsparallel with its axis, to let through any leaf trash or any foreignmatter contained in the seed-cotton. This drum may be connected with thedriving mechanism by means of a suitable clutch, which permits it to beopen ated and controlled independently of the feeding-section. It isplaced on a wood girt, H, attached to an upright of the frame at one endby a hinge, and resting upon the eccentric l upon a shaft which isoperated by a hand-lever, so that the drum may be lowered or raised tolet out hulls and other matter that may accumulate without stopping themachine. The hand-lever is provided with any suitable attachment-forinstance, aratch'et-bar, a-for keeping it in place when raised or toregulate the distance of the drum from the saws. The saws are preferablymade with four or more teeth, and then an intervening blank, and theseveral saws will be so arranged on the shaft that no two saws will havetheir teeth all opposite to each other. The shaft for the saws has awheel or pulley, L, on one end, provided with a cogwheel, L2, and mayderive motion from a belt-connection with a wheel, L3, on the end of themain drive-shaft, as seen in Fig. 2.

K is the strippingroller, the purpose of which is to keep back the hullswhile the saws have hold of the cotton and are carrying it forward andupward to fans between the ribs of the plate M, located between the sawsL and the rollers K and M. It keeps the hulls back and detaches themfrom the cotton, when they fall on the vdrum G, are carried forwardunder the saws, and then fall on the iioor. Instead of roller K, llinayemploy whatl call my cockle-burr roller, 7 intended to work cottongathered with burrs on it. Over the stripping-roller K is placed rollerM, with teeth, which may be made of wire, to run between the ribs in thedirection of the arrows and over the saws to prevent jamming up of theribs with wet cotton and burrs.

When made with wire teeth,the roller is IIC subject to damage frombending of the teeth by hard substances of unyielding nature. Itherefore prefer making this roller (shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 7) ofsquare pieces of sheet metal m m, mounted on a suitable shaft, separatedfrom eachother by wood or iron fillings. rIhe square pieces, run betweenthe ribs and over the saws, to keep the ribs from jamming up with wetcotton or cockleburrs. The cockleburr roller is shown in Figs. 6 and 7.lt is intended to replace the roller l when desired, being for thatpurpose located or run in same boxes and the connections attached, as onthe wire rollers. It is preferably made of sheet metal, circular disksof six or more inches in diameter, with wooden or metal fillings two ormore inches in diameter. rlhere are two series of these fillings, oneseries being about five-sixteenths of an inch long and the other aboutone-halfof an inch long. (Represented in Fig. 5 by the figuresfandrespectively.) The fi ve-sixteenths fillings are placed on the shaftbetween the circular disk, which pass outside of the saws to keep backthe burrs, and the one-half fillings come in to make up the distancebetween the saws. The five sixteenths fillings have flattened wirepoints t placed at equal distances, driven orscrewed into the fillings,to come within about an inch ofthe edges ofthe circular pieces, to keepback the burrs which may lodge upon the teeth of the saw, also to keepback the cottonhulls. This roller proves of great value in workingcotton gathered with burrs and hulls and bits of wood or cobs, vc. Itpractically prevents these foreign substances from being carried up andforward by the saws, and causes the burrs to become separated, so thatthey may pass through the ribs of the frame singly and without jamming.If they are knocked back and fall on the slatted drum G, they pass underthe saws and between them and fall on the door with the hulls.

The stri pping-fan N is preferably made with iron or steel blades set iniron or wooden heads, with recesses about threesixteenths of aninch wideby one inch long, to travel astride of each saw, or ncarl y so, for thepurpose of separating each seed from the other. rlhe blast from the fanopens up the lint, distends it on the seeds, and detaches a great amountof leaf ,trash and dust from the cotton when the cotdrum is aboutone-fourth by three-eighths of` an inch mesh, to prevent seeds frompassing through, and to admit the seed-cotton or lint on the seed toreceive the effects of the eX- haustfrom the sucti on-fan, which carriesoff the dust and a considerable amount of line leaf trash, metes, die.rIhe exhaust-fan O is placed under wire drum P and revolves in thedirection indica-ted bythe arrows, and has a pulley, Oi, on its shaft onone side of the machine, and also a pulley, O"'.

Over the drum I- is placed wire screen U, through which a great amountof dust and leaf trash passes into drawer `\I,to be removed at pleasure.

t is a small stripping-roller provided with a pulley, R on its shaft,andconnected by belt with pulley O"y and intended to keep the drum l?clear. The cotton passes to another sieve, S, which is hung on a shaftas close as convement to drum I? and under the strippingroller I?.

The sieve S is made ol' wire-cloth, and may be supported in the samemanner`as sieve G, and be connected eccentrically by an arm, S', withwheel S2, suitably journaled to the framing ofthe machine, as shown inFigs. l and 2, so as to give it a shaking motion, the same as sieve C.rlhe motion may be imparted to the wheel S by any suitable means-forinstance, by a belt-connection with a pulley, O3, on the shaft of theexhaust-firmas illustrated in Figs. 'l and 2-and a quantity of foreignmaterials falls through the sieve and into the drawer T, for removal atpleasure, and leaving the seedcotton in a greatly-improved condition,ready for the ginstand.

In this machine I may use as many as three sieves like S, all having thesame kind of shaking motion independent of each other.

I have illustrated in the drawings suitable belt-connections with thepulleys of various shafts to operate the several parts; but the mannerof ruiming the belts to make the desired connections may be varied inmany ways, as will occur tothe skilled mechanic, the relativearrangement of the rotating parts being the same, and therefore I do notlimit myselfto any one mode of ruiming or arranging the belting.

The machine constructed and arranged for operation substantially inaccorda-nee with the foregoing explanation is found in practice to`admirabl y answer the several purposes or objects ofthe invention aspreviously set forth.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new herein, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, `isl. The feeding belt, feedingcylinder or drum, and small roller, the two latter provided with teethand arranged in the same horizontal plane, and combined for operationsubstantially as shown and described.

2. rIhe feeding-belt7 feeding-cylinder pro- -vided with teeth, the smallroller, also provided with teeth, and a toothed concave in rear of thesmall roller, said rollers being geared together anddriven by beltconnection with the stripping-fan, all arranged and combined substantially asshown, and for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination of the feeding-belt, feed- IOO IIC

ing-drum, small roller arranged in rear of thefeedingdrum for cleaningsaid drum and breaking the hulls, and the Wire screen D, substantiallyas shown and described.

4. In a eotton-elea.11e1',tl1e eombinationvith feeding` mechanism, of ascreen, C, hinged at its upper end and adapted to be moved up and down,a shaft, and a rod Connected with said screen and eceentrieally withsaid shaft for operating said sereen, substantially as described.

5. The herein-described eookle burr roller, Composed of the series ofmetal disks mounted on the shaft and separated from each other by theWooden llings of different lengths,said llings being` provided with theflattened rnetallio points, all combined and arranged for operationsubstantially as shown and set forth.

6. The combination, with the saws. the ribplate, and the roller for keeping baek the burrs, of the roller M, provided with a central shafthaving angular metallic disksmounted thereon, separated from each otherby fillingsand` adapted to Work above the saws between the ribs of therib-plate, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

7. In a cotton-Cleaner, the combination of the main driving-shaft, thefriction-clutch F, the feeding-belt, the feedingroller,the screens C andD, and the saws, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

S. rIhe combination of the saws L, rollers K and M, stripping-fan N,iiue O, wire drum P. exhaust-fau 0', sereen U, drawer V, shaking-screenS, aud drawer T, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I elaim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand inthe presence of two Witnesses.

JOSEPH DALSTON.

Vitnesses:

XVM. XVALLAen, J. T. VENAnLn.

